Nate Bittle’s decisive free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining capped a game-ending 7-0 run for Oregon on its way to a 71-70 win at Southern California on Saturday in Big Ten play at Los Angeles.
Bittle posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, culminating on his clutch foul shots that came out of a baseline out-of-bounds play for the Ducks (10-17, 3-13 Big Ten).
Oregon gained possession leading to the pivotal play when Bittle hauled in the defensive rebound off of a Kam Woods miss on a putback attempt. USC (18-9, 7-9) scrambled to stop the bleeding as the Ducks cut what had been a six-point deficit to just one in just a few seconds thanks to five straight Kwame Evans Jr. points.
Evans knocked down a 3-pointer to close out a team-high 21-point performance, coming off a Drew Carter steal.
Oregon sealed the win with another critical swipe, as Dezdrick Lindsay wrested possession away from Alijah Arenas to denying USC a look at a final shot.
The Trojans committed only 11 turnovers, but Arenas finished with three on a 1-of-6 day shooting from 3-point range.
Arenas struggled early, but came alive over a stretch midway through the second half when USC went on a 10-0 run. The spurt gave the Trojans the lead for most of the final nine minutes.
USC lost Ezra Ausar down the stretch, however, when he fouled out with 15 points. Chad Baker-Mazara also fouled out, committing the hack of Bittle in the closing sequence, after scoring 21 points.
Baker-Mazara missed Wednesday’s blowout loss to Illinois due to a knee strain and came off the bench on Saturday, but wasted little time returning to rhythm.
He knocked down all three of his 3-pointers in the first half and buoyed the Trojans with 15 points by intermission. Having four fouls for much of the second half limited his contributions after intermission.
The loss marked a significant blow to USC’s NCAA Tournament resume, with Oregon coming in having just one road win previously on the season. However, Saturday’s victory marks the Ducks’ fourth straight overall at Galen Center.
